Vexillology Wiki
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Georgia - Back to the Future 2.jpg|This flag harkens back to the flags of Georgia in use between 1879 and 1956, but replaces the state Seal with thirteen stars which, of course, signify Georgia's status as one of the original thirteen states. [Posted by Ken Morton, October 26, 2018]
 
Georgia - Back to the Future 2.jpg|This flag harkens back to the flags of Georgia in use between 1879 and 1956, but replaces the state Seal with thirteen stars which, of course, signify Georgia's status as one of the original thirteen states. [Posted by Ken Morton, October 26, 2018]
 
Georgia - Roundel.png|Georgia - Roundel Posted by Ken Morton.
 
Georgia - Roundel.png|Georgia - Roundel Posted by Ken Morton.
Georgia New Flag.png|GA Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge"
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Georgia New Flag.png|GA Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 1"
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Georgia New Flag 2.png|GA Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge 2"
 
GA_PNG.png|Red cross on white is the English St. George’s cross, representing the colonial origins and etymology of the state of Georgia. The blue field is from the canton of various flags in Georgia history, on which all had stars. The four stars themselves represent four major periods in Georgia’s history: the colonial era, the pre-Civil War era, the Civil War era, and finally modern Georgia. Georgia is also the fourth state to ratify the Constitution. The gold in the stars comes from Georgia’s state seal, and the number of stars represent the four elements in the seal: Constitution, Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. The four colors are all the official colors of the state.
 
GA_PNG.png|Red cross on white is the English St. George’s cross, representing the colonial origins and etymology of the state of Georgia. The blue field is from the canton of various flags in Georgia history, on which all had stars. The four stars themselves represent four major periods in Georgia’s history: the colonial era, the pre-Civil War era, the Civil War era, and finally modern Georgia. Georgia is also the fourth state to ratify the Constitution. The gold in the stars comes from Georgia’s state seal, and the number of stars represent the four elements in the seal: Constitution, Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. The four colors are all the official colors of the state.
 
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Revision as of 02:35, 1 November 2019


For the country of Georgia, see Georgia (country).

The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, and a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the state's coat of arms in gold.

In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution and the pillars represent the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation," are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in colonial attire dating back to the American Revolution. Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state's constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, is positioned underneath these elements acting as the state's "foundation". The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms symbolize Georgia's status as one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

The design principle is based on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the "Stars and Bars".

Historical flags

The state flag used from 1956 to 2001 featured a prominent Confederate Battle Flag, which some residents found offensive due to its historical use by the Confederate States of America and its contemporary use as a symbol by various white supremacy groups.

Political pressure for a change in the official state flag increased during the 1990s, in particular during the run-up to the 1996 Olympic Games that were held in Atlanta. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller announced his intention to get the battle flag element removed, but the state legislature refused to pass any flag-modifying legislation.

Miller's successor as Governor, Roy Barnes, responded to the increasing calls for a new state flag, and in 2001 hurried a replacement through the Georgia General Assembly. His new flag sought a compromise, by featuring small versions of some (but not all) of Georgia's former flags, including the controversial 1956 flag, under the words "Georgia's History." Those flags are a thirteen-star U.S. flag of the "Betsy Ross" design; the first Georgia flag (before 1879); the 1920–1956 Georgia flag; the previous state flag (1956–2001); and the current fifty-star U.S. flag.

In a 2001 survey on state and provincial flags in North America conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the newly adopted Georgia flag was ranked the worst by a wide margin; the group stated that the flag "violates all the principles of good flag design."

Proposals for a New Flag of Georgia